Brutus Gladiator Armour
"(chuckle) Daddy gives us the bestest toys..." :- Giovanna Caedere, Brutus pilot (age 7), locking on to another target The Syndicate have never been known for ethics: but efficiency is almost synonimous with them. Their tactical Battlesuits, long-ranged weaponry, and A.U.R.A. network are all frightening examples of their brutal efficiency. However, with increasing levels of Allied interference in shady deals and their existing AA platforms proving too costly, vulnerable, or easily spotted: they needed something with the power to stand up to one of the most feared Airforces in the world- and that led to the developement of the Brutus Gladiator Armour. The Brutus Gladiator Armour is a machine built to give interfering aircraft something to fear: armed with a superheated mono-molecular wire net-gun and a "Trident" sear gas system to fend off ground targets. The original reasoning behind using a mono-wire net-gun was to keep aircraft mostly intact while forcing them to crash- possibly preserving technology to be salvaged later. However, in early tests the mono-wire net proved to be far more destructive to aircraft than expected, so the weapon was modified to superheat the net before launch for maximum lethality. The Syndicate Executives ran into trouble when it came time to actually test the vehicle. The mono-molecular wire net-gun had no way of homing in on targets: this, combined with the speed and manueverability of modern aircraft and a lack of room for a computer to aim the weapon meant that most Brutus test pilots had an unnacceptably low accuracy rating against target drones without a direct uplink to the A.U.R.A. system. Simply put, only the most accomplished of marksman could hope to hit a modern plane with the powerful mono-wire net-gun: and the Syndicate did not have enough of such men to fill the ranks. However, rather than re-design the Brutus or cancel the project, the Syndicate began a project to implant a program to do all the computing required to aim the weapon on to the mind of the pilot. This form of technology is difficult to apply even for the Syndicate, and it was found that younger, less cluttered minds accepted to implanting better than an adult. Thus, orphans who would not be missed (especially in a Sprawl) were abducted and forced to undergo battlesuit surgery, during which the aiming program was implanted on to their subconscious with timer system that would kill them in five days unless reset at a specialized facility. For those captured, there is little hope of anyone but the Syndicate knowing how to reset the timer, and thus they are pressed into the Syndicate Brutus ranks without hope of escape. This is not an uncommon origin among Brutus pilots, and many come to despise the other Syndicate forces and hate the ones responsible for the program. It is not uncommon for their hatred of their lack of freedom to develop into a form of sadism. Other Brutus pilots fanatically latch on to their overseers, in response to the shreds of kindness and compassion which they never encountered as orphans on the streets - seemingly so small a gift goes a long way in such desolate souls. In any event, the reactions of the pilots towards their condition tend towards extremes, one way or another. Regardless of such personality 'quirks', however, the Brutus Gladiator Armour project has proven efficient at its intended role, and thus the funding for it was increased to allow for mass production. Category:Units